Gather and Grow

Step into the garden and grow alongside others. Gather and Grow is a monthly gathering where we come together to learn, share and tend the rhythms of the season.

Each session explores a different topic, all related to growing your own food, guided by an experienced facilitator in a relaxed, welcoming setting. You’ll leave with practical skills, seasonal inspiration, and often something to take home for your own garden.

Join Melissa (Blue Boat Farm) on Jacqui’s (In Our Hands Family Farm) property for a series of monthly talks (last Friday of the month)… covering a variety of topics destined to up your growing game!!

Melissa is an experienced market gardener, backyard grower and community-minded green thumb and Chief Steward of Horticulture at the Newcastle Show Horticulture section. Melissa grows vegetables, flowers, fruit trees and runs chickens, ducks and quails at Blue Boat Farm, her one acre, backyard farm in Medowie. She has studied with Jean-Martin Fortier's Market Gardener Institute, Harcourt Orchard's Grow Great Fruit, Milkwood Permaculture and Limestone Permaculture. Although not currently growing produce to sell, Melissa continues to refine her skills and knowledge, whilst her teenage children keep her busy on the home front, and is studying Korean Natural Farming with Chris Trump at Biomei Natural Farming.

Limited to just 10 participants, this is a space to slow down, ask questions, build confidence, and connect with others who are on the same path. Sessions run from 10am-11:30am. BYO gardening gloves, and a container / box to take your monthly items home with you. A notepad and pen is also a good idea, but all other equipment is provided.

Come as you are. Grow what you can. Be part of something rooted in community.

April 24th - Deep Sowing: Root crop success

FOCUS - Taproots, tubers, bulbs, rhizomes, what is the difference? How do we sow and grow these?

Seeds: Garlic, beetroot, carrots, flower bulbs, radish

May 29th - Winter Larder: Leafy greens

FOCUS - What is transplant shock? How do we prick out and pot up / transplant seedlings?

Seeds: Boy choy, spinach, mizuna, cauliflower, rocket, coriander

June 26th - A Quiet Start: Seeds That Like to Take Their Time

FOCUS - Cosy sowing for patient growers. Slow seeds, warm windows, steady care.

June is not a gap — it’s a settling-in month. We start onions and leeks indoors, learning how to create the right conditions and then step back. This session builds confidence with seed‑raising, soil feel, watering, and light — and introduces the idea that patience is a gardening skill.

You’ll leave knowing what’s normal, what to ignore, and what success actually looks like.

Seeds: Onions (short day), Spring onion, Leeks

July 31st - Looking Ahead Calmly: Planning the Spring Garden

Focus: A gentle pause before things get busy. Planning, planting diaries, and choosing less.

July is about clarity, not action. Together we map spring in a simple, non‑overwhelming way — what you’d love to grow, what fits realistically, and just as importantly, what you’re choosing not to grow this year.

We introduce planting diaries as supportive tools, not homework, and make space to think before spring arrives.

This session is especially kind for anyone who has felt rushed or behind in past seasons.

SEEDS: None this month. 

August 28th (Full Moon) - Waking the Warmth Lovers

Focus: Bringing summer to life indoors. Tomatoes, capsicum, eggplant — started gently.

Using the plans made in July (or your own plans made at another time), we begin warm‑season seeds indoors. This session demystifies heat, timing, and germination, and reassures everyone that slow, steady starts are better than early panic.

Nothing here requires perfect timing — just attention and warmth.

SEEDS: Tomatoes, capsicums, eggplants, basil

September 25th - Spreading Out: Vines That Like Their Own Space

Focus: Big seeds, easy wins. Zucchini, cucumber, pumpkin, and pot‑starting confidence.

Large seeds are forgiving and satisfying. We look at why some plants like their roots left alone, how to pot them up calmly, and when to step aside and let them grow.

This is a confidence‑anchoring month: visible progress, minimal fuss.

SEEDS: Zucchini, pumpkin, cucumber, nasturtium

October 30th - What’s Normal, What’s Fixable, What to Ignore

Focus: Mid‑season reassurance. Troubleshooting without panic

October is where questions appear. Some plants thrive. Some stall. Some fail. All of this is normal. This session is about reassurance, gentle troubleshooting, and learning when not to intervene. Bring photos, bring questions, bring curiosity.

You’ll leave lighter, not burdened with fixes.

SEEDS: Beans, corn, marigolds, summer greens

November 27th - Helping Stubborn Seeds Along

Focus: A little preparation goes a long way. Hard seed coats, basil abundance, warm‑weather patience. We explore soaking, scratching, and soft encouragement for seeds that need an extra nudge - alongside sowing basil freely and joyfully for summer.

This month reinforces that effort should be proportional — not all seeds ask for the same thing.

SEEDS: Basil, dill, okra or rosella

December 18th - Keeping Things Going Through the Heat

Focus: Gentle care in demanding weather. Shade starts and thinking ahead to autumn

Summer isn’t about doing more - it’s about protection and pacing. We quietly start cabbage and cauliflower in shade, learning how to prepare for the next season without pushing against the heat.

Future you will thank present you for this calm planning.

SEEDS: Cabbage, cauliflower, silverbeet

January 29th 2027 - Saving Seeds for Next Time

Focus: Turning success into continuity. Seed saving from what survived.

Seed saving closes the loop. We focus only on plants that did well, learning simple methods for drying, storing, and labelling seeds without pressure or perfection.

This session celebrates resilience, not productivity.

SEEDS: seed saving techniques

February 26th 2027- Looking Back, Growing Forward

Focus: Reflection, rest, and a gentle reset. Reviewing summer and easing into autumn and winter

Instead of rushing into the next cycle, we pause. We reflect on what worked, what didn’t, what was worth the effort, and what can be let go. From there, we make a small, clear plan for autumn and winter - fewer crops, kinder expectations, more breathing room.

This is a restorative session, not a to‑do list.

SEEDS: Lettuces, radish

March 26th 2027 - The Autumn Turn

Focus: Easing out of summer and into cooler rhythms. Clearing, soil refresh, simple autumn sowing

March is about resetting without rushing. We look at gently clearing tired summer beds, refreshing soil where needed, and choosing a small number of cool‑season crops to begin the autumn garden.

This session emphasises transition, not productivity.

SEEDS: Bok choy, kale, broccoli, cauliflower

We offer a $5 per class discount for participants who are booking 3 or more classes. Use code 3CLASSES to claim!